Door for fire alarm boxes and the like



May 7, 1935. P. P. HORNI DOOR FOR FIRE ALARM BOXES AND THE LIKE FiledOct. 18, 1930 6 Sheets-Sheet l LETTERlNG HERE INVENTOR f u/ffirzzv'ATTORNEYS May 7, 1935. p P, HORN] 2,000,517

DOOR FOR FIRE ALARM BOXES AND THE LIKE? Filed Oct. 18, 1930 6Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR gmffib wwa ATTORNEYS May 7, 1935. P. P. HORN!2,009,517

DOOR FOR FIRE ALARM Boxr AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 18, A930 6 Sheecs-Sheet3 INVENTOR ktm/pflbrzza ATTORNEY 5 May 7, 1935.

P. P. HORN! 2,000,517

DOOR FOR FIRE ALARM BOXES AND THE LIKF Filed Oct. 18, 1950 6Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY DOOR FOR FIRE ALARM BOXES AND THE LIKE FiledOct. 18, 1930 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 [II/Ill INVENTOR Z a/P z.

ATTORNEYS Patented May 7, 1935 PATENTOFFICE DOOR FOR FIRE ALARM BOXESAND THE LIKE Paul P. Horni, Newark, N. J. Application October 18, 1930,Serial No. 489,687

4 Claims.

This invention relates to boxes for enclosing mechanism for energizingfire alarms and the like, and has particular reference to a novel door,whereby access to the fire alarm mechanism may be readily had in case offire.

Heretofore, two distinct types of fire alarm boxes were employed, one inwhich a door had to be opened in order to reach the lever, button or keyfor initiating the alarm, and in the other type a frangible element suchas a plate of glass had to be broken in order to gain access to thealarm mechanism. Each of these former types of fire alarm boxes hadcertain objections as well as advantages, and it is the principal objectof this invention to provide a fire alarm box which employs botharrangements in a novel way in order to secure the advantages of eacharrangement and obviate the objections thereof.

Accordingly, the present invention comprehends a fire alarm box having adoor pivoted thereto, which is adapted to be opened to obtain access tothe alarm-giving lever, button or key normally enclosed by the door. Thedoor is equipped with a frangible element, such as a sheet of glass, andis normally biased to open position either by overbalancing it so thatit will swing open by gravity when released, or by providing a spring orthe like for forcing the door open when it is released. A latch suitablypivoted or otherwise mounted on the frame of the box engages one edge ofthe glass sheet in the door and serves as the sole means for holding thedoor in closed position. Accordingly, disengagement of this latch fromthe glass sheet causes the door to swing automatically, so that thealarm-giving lever, button or key is immediately rendered accessible.This disengagement of the latch from the glass sheet is most readilyobtained by breaking the glass, so that it falls away and is releasedfrom the latch, and the door is no longer held against opening andautomatically swings open.

In an alternative arrangement, the alarm box is equipped with positivemeans for breaking the glass, which operates without any specific act onthe part of the user in striking the glass orsre quiring the user tosearch for an object with which to strike the glass. This meanspreferably consists of a pendulous weight, projection, or other objector striker so placed behind the door adjacent the glass that movement ofthe door,

which is preferably slightly ajar for the purpose, causes the striker tobreak the glass, whereby the latch which normally engages it to hold thedoor in closed position is rendered ineffective and the door flies open.In order to prevent injury to the user by flying fragments of glass ashe breaks the glass sheet, the latter is preferably overlaid with asheet of flexible material which may be struck to break the glass behindit, and encloses the broken pieces of glass so that they do not 5 injurethe user. If the glass is broken in a way other than by striking theflexible sheet, the latter acts in the same way to prevent the brokenpieces of glass from injuring the user.

It will be seen that the arrangement of this 10 invention provides avery effective and efficient arrangement for immediately renderingaccessible the lever, button, or key for sounding the alarm, and for abetter understanding of the invention, preferred embodiments of this ar-15 rangement are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a face view of a new fire alarm box of this invention withthe door removed to show the release lever or latch;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the novel door;

Fig. 3 illustrates graphically the manner in which the doorautomatically swings open when the glass is broken;

Fig. 4 illustrates the method of inserting a new sheet of glass and themanner in which the door is latched;

Fig. 5 illustrates a modification including a striker whereby the glassis broken;

Fig. 6 illustrates an arrangement whereby a sheet of flexible materialencloses the glass and protects the user from flying particles; and

Figs. 7, 8, and 9 illustrate alternative arrangements, whereby the boxmay be opened either by 35 breaking the glassor by releasing the latch.

In these drawings, numeral 20 designates the frame of the fire alarm boxhaving the usual front panel 2 I, upon the front of which is mounted thehousing 22. Referring to Fig. 2, a door 40 23 is pivoted at its loweredge on a hinge pin 24 extending between the lugs 25 of the housing 22.The door is provided with downwardly tapering side flanges 26 but no topflange, so that the top of the door is open and its center of gravity is45 to the left of the hinge pin 24 as seen in Fig. 2, whereby the door23 is overbalanced and tends to swing open by gravity when it isreleased. In case the door 23 should stick for any reason such as dirtlodgedbetween its side flanges 26 and the housing 22 or around the hingepin 24, or by ice and the like, a plunger 2'! is provided which isforced by spring 28 against the door 23 to urge it to open position whenit is released.

Behind this door 23 and within housing 22 is key, button, or the like,for operating the alarm mechanism contained within the frame 23, but notshown in the drawings because it is not part of the present invention.

The door 23 is provided with a center opening 33 opposite the alarmlever 23 and with overhanging flanges 3l along its vertical edges ofthis opening 30. These flanges 3| are adapted to embrace the side edgesof a sheet of glass 32 which normally closes opening 33 in the front ofthe door 23, and which is either transparent, translucent, opaque, orpartly opaque or masked to display the alarm lever 23 behind it. Thesheet of glass 32 .is inserted through the open top of the door and slidin position between the overhanging flanges 3l in the manner shown inFig. 4.

The top edge of the glass sheet 32 projects slightly and, engaging thistop edge, is a latch 33 pivoted on a pin 34 mounted on the bracket 33located on the back of the frame front panel 2|. The inner end of thelatch 33 is provided with an extension 33, between which and the back ofthe frame 22 is placed a spring 31 which normally urges the latch 33 inengagement with the top edge of the glass sheet 32. Accordingly, afterthe glass sheet 32 has been inserted in the door 23 in the manner shownin Fig. 4, it is only necessary to move the door to closed position, asshown in phantom in Fig. 4, whereupon the latch 33 snaps over the topedge of the glass sheet 32 to latch the door in closed position. It willbe noted that the latch 33 is the only element which holds the door 23shut, and that this latch engages only the glass sheet 32 to performthis function. Thus the door 23 is normally biased to open position bygravity or the plunger 21 or both, but is held closed by the latch 33.

When the glass sheet 32 is broken by a user in order to gain access tothe alarm-giving lever 23, the latch 33 automatically releases the door23, inasmuch as the glass sheet falls away in pieces as shown in Fig. 3.The door then swings downwardly as shown in phantom in Fig. 3, either bygravity or because of the pressure of plunger 21, and the user thenpulls down on the alarm lever 29 to sound the alarms Thereafter theglass sheet 32 is replaced as shown in Fig. 4, the door 23 closed, andthe apparatus is again ready for operation.

In some instances, the user may hesitate to break the glass sheet 32, ornot have means for doing so, so that an auxiliary arrangement may beprovided for disconnecting the latch 33 from the glass sheet 32. Severalforms of this auxi1-' iary arrangement are illustrated in Figs. '1, 8,and 9. As shown in Fig. 9, the handle 33 is placed on the outside of thedoor and is connected to the end of a shaft 33 journalled through one ofthe side flanges 23 for example, and carrying on its inner end the crossbar 40, one end of which engages the glass sheet 32, and the other endof which engages the latch 33. Accordingly, movement of the lever 33causes the cross bar 43 to disengage latch 33 from glass sheet 32, sothat the door 23 flies open.

In an alternative arrangement, a cam 4| ,is mounted on the inner end ofshaft-39, so that manipulation of lever 33 causes latch 33 to disengageglass sheet 32. This arrangement is shown in Fig. 7. Rod 43, shown inFig. 8, has an additional purpose and that is to hold the glass 32 inplace instead of the overhang on flanges 3| as shown in Fig. 4.Accordingly, it is only necthe usual alarm-giving lever 23 or theequivalent essary for the user to push inwardly on' glass sheet 32 toopen the door, inasmuch as this action causes the lower end of rod 43 topivot about the shaft 39 as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 8, so thatits upper end disengages latch 33 from glass sheet 32 and the door fliesopen. It will be seen that, with this arrangement, it is not necessaryto break the glass to open the door, nor is it necessary to manipulatelever 33 to release the latch 33, although the lever is ready for use inthis way if the user should adopt this method for opening the door.Frequently, it is not possible for the user to flnd an object with whichto break the glass, and

so, in an alternative arrangement, a striker is provided for breakingthe glass without requiring a positive striking act on the part of theuser to do so. In Fig. 5 is illustrated an arrangement whereby the door23 is held slightly aiar by latch 33, and a pendulous weight 43 issuspended from the top of housing 22 immediately behind the glass sheet32. With this arrangement, it is only necessary for the user to jar thedoor 23,

door, it is preferred that the user be protected from the flying Piecesof glass. Accordingly, as shown in Fig. 6, a sheet 41 of flexiblematerial overlies the glass sheet 32, and is so arranged that if theglass 32 is broken for any reason, the pieces of glass are preventedfrom firms and causing injury to the user. The flexible sheet 41 may beof thin sheet metal, but it preferably consists of a transparent sheetof celluloid or the like. As this flexible protector sheet 41immediately overlies the glass sheet 32, it may be struck and the impactof the blow is transmitted to the glass to break it in the usual way. ofcourse, other means of breaking the glass described herein may be usedwith equal facility, the object of this arrangement being to prevent thefragments of glass from injuring the user, however, the sheet of glassmay have been broken.

It will be seen that the new flre alarm box arrangement of thisinvention and the various modifications thereof which lie within itsscope provide a very simple and effective means for gaining access tothe alarm-giving lever, button or key without requiring the user, who isusually excited and in haste, to read a set of instructions which wouldappear complicated under the circumstances, or require him to perform anumber of operations to obtain the simple result of gaining access tothe alarm-giving'mechanism. At the same time, the'operating mechanism ofthe alarm box is protected against the weather and inadvertent orunintended operation by an enclosure which though readily opened issecure and effective for the purpose. While the arrangements andmodifications thereof described herein are preferred embodiments of theinvention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limitedthereby, but is susceptible of various changes in form and detail withinits scope.

I claim:

1. In a fire alarm box, the combination of a frame, a movable doorthereon, a frangible element mounted in the door, a latch'engaging saidelement for holding said door in partially closed position, and meansinside of said door rendered-effective by movement of said door towardfully closed position for breaking said element to release said latch.

2. In a fire alarm box, a frame, a door pivoted thereon, a frangibleelement on said door, means engaging said element for holding said doorpartly closed, and means rendered effective by movement of said doortoward fully closed position for breaking said element to release saiddoor.

3. In a flre alarm box, a frame, a door pivoted thereon, a frangibleelement on said door, means engaging said element for holding said doorpartly closed, and a member arranged adjacent said element for breakingthe same when said door is moved toward fully closed position.

4. In a fire alarm box, the combination of a frame, a door pivotedthereon, a frangible element on said door, a latch pivoted on the framefor engaging said element for normally holding said door in partiallyclosed position, and a separate striker suspended adjacent said elementand adapted to be swung away from the element by movement of the doortoward fully closed position so as to break said element on the returnswing.

PAUL P. HORNI.

